Black Bean & Quinoa Salad w/ lemon cumin vinaigrette, by Autumn Grant
Black Bean & Quinoa Salad w/ lemon cumin vinaigrette I am not a fan, and dislike, wasting food. I always try to use whatever I have in the kitchen before buying more food. It encourages me to be creative and save. Here, I knew I wanted to use quinoa as my grain; I had some black beans I thought would work well, and a few carrots I had to use up. This salad is high in fiber and protein and is delicious! WHAT YOU’LL NEED For the salad: 2 cups quinoa, cooked in vegetable broth 1 cup black beans, rinsed in cold water 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed in cold water 3 carrots, peeled and grated ½ cup green onions, chopped ½ cup walnuts, chopped Handful of parsley, chopped Handful of cilantro, chopped Salt and pepper to taste For the dressing: ½ cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup red wine vinegar 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed w/ zest 1 tsp cumin 2-3 cloves of garlic, halved and crushed 1 tbsp honey Salt and pepper to taste HOW TO MAKE IT Cook quinoa, fluff with a fork and set aside in a large bowl. Rinse beans and chickpeas, place in saucepan covered with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer until just tender, then drain. Once the quinoa is chilled add black beans, chickpeas, carrots, green onion, walnuts, parsley, salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil and whisk until well mixed together. Remove garlic then toss salad with this dressing. Serve chilled. Enjoy!
